FEATURES
By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun | May 20, 2013
Consider this our encore applause for Macklemore's performance at Preakness. This weekend, the self-made Seattle rapper took the stage at the Triple Crown's second jewel and delivered a set that included his two most recognizable songs -- "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" -- but also the song "Same Love," in which he stands up for same-sex marriage and gay rights in an unabashedly forward way. Here's a link to the song's video on YouTube....
ENTERTAINMENT
By Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun | April 25, 2013
Baltimore rap fans have been waiting for Los' "Becoming King" since last year. On Thursday, the Bad Boy Records signee and Baltimore native finally released the free 17-track mixtape, which you can download from Datpiff here . "Becoming King" finds Los, who lives in Los Angeles now, sharing tracks with Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, Ludacris, Pusha T, Yo Gotti and more. The boss, Diddy, appears on the song "Disappointed. " Beats were made by Baltimore-born producer J. Oliver, 1500 or Nothing, Sonny Digital and more.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Wesley Case and Jessica Anderson, The Baltimore Sun | April 25, 2013
The Grammy-nominated rapper 2 Chainz, who received a drug citation during a traffic stop in Talbot County in February, was found not guilty. The rapper, whose legal name is Tauheed Epps, was found not guilty of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges, online court records show. His attorney did not respond Thursday for a call for comment. Epps tweeted on Wednesday, “Boxing gloves I beat the trial.” After the February stop, he Tweeted a photo of himself with two officers, prompting state police to review the incident.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun | April 16, 2013
Outkast remains arguably the greatest rap duo of all time, even though its members - Antwan "Big Boi" Patton and Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000 - haven't released an album together since 2006's "Idlewild" soundtrack. While Big Boi continues to release solo albums, Andre has mostly flirted with hip-hop, appearing on guest verses with high-profile artists when he pleases. Last November, Andre made headlines for his contribution to T.I.'s self-reflecting "Sorry. " On it, Andre apologizes to his longtime partner for slowing Outkast down, declining tours and, subsequently, walking away from significant paydays.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun | March 27, 2013
At first glance, the Metro Gallery's Saturday night bill seems like an odd pairing: Dope Body - one of Baltimore's noisiest, most abrasive bands in years - and Mykki Blanco, a gender-bending, impressively nimble rapper from New York. But watch some live YouTube clips of each act, and the show makes more sense. Dope Body and Mykki Blanco command attention immediately, and both are capable of consistently winning over new audiences through sheer force and charisma. It doesn't matter that their albums would be categorized at opposite ends of the store.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun | March 19, 2013
Late last winter, Baltimore rapper Test (formerly known as TestMe) signed a deal with Future's FreeBandz Entertainment. Yesterday, he released his first project of original material as a FreeBandz member: "Green Light," which you can download for free here (contains explicit language). (Test released "Jackin 4 Beats" with DJ Big L late last year, but it was him rhyming over already-popular tracks.) Test appeared on the popular FreeBandz compilation mixtape, "F.B.G.: The Movie," from January.